2001 4.4i engine light on.

[ausx5]

Hey guys, I haven't posted here before so here goes.

I recently bought an E53 4.4i sport and am in the slow (and suprisingly expensive) process of fixing it's inherrant X5 problems.

I was driving home the other night and the engine light appeared on the dash. During that day the temperature got up to 45 degrees (celcius), which is pretty warm here in Aus! So the next day i checked the coolant level and it was very low and was not even registering on the level indicator, although the temp guage didn't even flicker the day before. I guessed that the engine light was on possibly to warn me of this, so i topped up the coolant level this afternoon but the engine light is still on. Is this possibly because:-
a) The light will reset once car goes into it's 'sleep mode' overnight
b) I need to get the light reset by someone
c) There is a separate issue all together, meaning the light will stay on untill i resolve what ever the other problem may be! (i'm thinking this one myself!)

Any help here would be much appreciated. As i said i'm new here and my mechanical knowledge especially with BMW's isn't great.

Thanks in advance,

Ben.

[Nik]

First off, welcome to the forum
BMW X5's are pretty strange problematic cars, but anything and everything can be found on
this forum.
The SES(Service Engine Soon) Light wouldn't propobly come on because of coolant lvl.
Did you get warning in the dash "Check Coolant Level"? The temp guage does NOT move, unless engine overheats, then needle goes straight to RED.
If you havn't checked and cleared your system from any Codes (errors) I would suggest
doing so. After you can keep track of what's new. So get your SES checked by dealer, or
someone who has GT1 code reader.

Enjoy your new X.

[Isambard]

Welcome to the forum mate! You've come to the right place

I agree with Nik, the engine light probably wouldn't come on for coolant level being low, there should have been a 'check coolant level' message on your instrument cluster. So, as Nik says get the codes read and find out what has caused the engine light to come on then go from there as this is probably un-related.

Also, you'll obviously need to check for coolant leaks to establish where and why you have lost that much fluid in the first place, then sort that out too.

[ausx5]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll get it checked out ASAP. I thought there would of been a specific light for cooling system issues as a check engine light is a bit vague! I live about an hour away from the indy shop i use, so is it ok to drive the car to the shop with the light on?

[Nik]

Yes, I would say it is ok, as long as car doesn't act strange. Keep an eye for that coolant though, Make sure message doesn't come on, before you fix for leaks. propobly it's bad expansion tank.

[jay76]

I recently had this light come on and took it down to the mechanic. Error codes showed a faulty breather valve and faulty ignition coil. Not sure which one triggered the light but I suspect the valve.

Just prior to that, I had both a low coolant and oil level warning come up, but neither of those triggered the warning light.

The light needs to be rest by your mechanic, or someone with the right equipment.

I've also heard the light can come up if the fuel cap isn't done up tight. In these cases, I've heard the light resets after a few start-ups.

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by jay76

I recently had this light come on and took it down to the mechanic. Error codes showed a faulty breather valve and faulty ignition coil. Not sure which one triggered the light but I suspect the valve.

Just prior to that, I had both a low coolant and oil level warning come up, but neither of those triggered the warning light.

The light needs to be rest by your mechanic, or someone with the right equipment.

I've also heard the light can come up if the fuel cap isn't done up tight. In these cases, I've heard the light resets after a few start-ups.

The SEL will be cleared automatically if the computer detects the system which caused it to be set is no longer out of specification. This can result from the system being repaired (though typically the mechanic clears the codes in order to verify they do not recur) or the malfunction was intermittent. Tightening the gas cap would be an example of a "repair".

[Nik]

Iginiton coil would strigger the light.

[ausx5]

Thanks again for the info guys. As i said i have topped up the coolant level and will go about finding the leak very soon. In the meantime though, I am pleased to say the SES light has gone, I have started the car probably 5 or 6 times since i topped up the coolant. I took it to the car wash last night and when i started her up to head home, the light didn't come on and hasn't since! Very strange.

[Isambard]

Thats good, but you should still get the codes read regardless. The light came on for a reason!